Rep. Stupak, who has been outspokenly opposed to abortion during his political tenure, said on Feb. 23 that he “was pleased to see that President Obama’s health care proposal did not include several of the sweetheart deals provided to select states in the Senate bill.”

“Unfortunately, the President's proposal encompasses the Senate language allowing public funding of abortion,” the Michigan representative stated. “The Senate language is a significant departure from current law and is unacceptable,” he added.

“While the President has laid out a health care proposal that brings us closer to resolving our differences, there is still work to be done before Congress can pass comprehensive health care reform.‬”

Rep. Stupak stepped into the national political spotlight when he introduced an amendment to the House health care reform bill that maintained the Hyde Amendment ban on using federal funds to pay for abortions. The Stupak Amendment passed in the House by a vote of 240-194 last November.

President Obama's health care proposal comes at a time when congressional leaders are still divided on the issue. The recent election of Republican Senator Scott Brown to an historically Democratic seat in Massachusetts has added to the complexity of the situation and has caused some to claim it unlikely that there are enough votes to pass health care reform legislation in either the House or the Senate as it currently stands.